Five Nations Arts is located in a renovated train station on Main Street in Mandan, a city on the Missouri River which takes its name from the local Indian tribe that welcomed Lewis and Clark. Operated by the Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation (FALF), the non-profit gallery provides an outlet for the sale of art and crafts made by members of the Five Nations: Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Chippewa and Sioux.
The old ticket counter is still intact, and the original cloth shades frame the windows of the former Burlington Northern depot. In addition to selling art works, the gallery staff goes out of its way to encourage artists to revive their own traditions and culture. Collectors and customers occasionally request special-order items, and if Five Nations Arts does not have access to the art, they contact native artists with a talent in creating the product.
Tracy Potter, president and executive director of FALF, says, “Helping people rediscover their roots is the most rewarding part of the job. One craft in particular that was almost lost as an art is the centuries old labor-intensive quillwork. Made from porcupine quills, the art form is making a come back through dedicated artists intent on preserving their craft. Once beads came into use in the 1700s, quillwork was pushed aside and only the artisans receiving training from a skilled family member continued on with the tradition.”
Now Five Nations Arts has a number of the unique quillwork articles on display for sale. As Tracy chuckles, “Quillwork is holy work. After you are done crafting with quills, you have many punctures on your fingers.”
Native American history has always relied on story-telling. Stories of tribal ceremonies, heroic buffalo hunts, and romance have all been passed on through the generations. Most pieces of art at Five Nations Arts are embellished with a story, told by the artist to a gallery staff member, of the origin and meaning of the work. “The value of each art piece is increased when a related story follows it,” notes Tracy.
Included in this Native American art gallery are such things as wall hangings, paintings, sculpture, jewelry, pottery, shields, lances, painted buffalo hides, as well as the traditional quillwork. Also on hand are raw materials used by native artists in their art or craft. Sales to artists make up a part of the gallery’s business, but, as Tracy says, “It’s the tourists that make up the bulk of sales, those people wanting traditional Native American articles.”
Expansion of the exclusive store will come through its web-based sales in the future. “We think our greatest successes will come from our website,” says Tracy. “Each one of a kind piece of art will be displayed on the site and when sold, a new piece can easily be added. Any successes we’ve had in the past with our website have come from someone emailing us to ask a question about a piece they’ve seen or heard about.”
For now, Patty Schanandore, the store manager, has built relationships with collectors around the country. As a new piece comes in that she knows someone collects, she will send a digital picture to that person.
Choosing items for the store is a collaborative effort between Patty and Tracy. They have no magical formula for what will sell but rely on their instincts to decide what will catch a customer’s eye. Most of the time, it works, but occasionally it does not.
The Five Nations Arts gallery is headquarters to the Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation, which is engaged in the long-range project of restoring the On-A-Slant Mandan Village at Fort Abraham Lincoln. Out of the five earth lodges that were rebuilt, one is being restored with all the items found in a Mandan home in the 1700s. “Some businesses would just hire a display firm to imitate the everyday artifacts. Instead, we put out a call to our artists. We printed up an engraving of the interior of an earth lodge and passed it around to the artists. We asked what they were familiar with and what they could complete. We are buying products made by local Native American artists or commissioning work to be done that is a replica of the original. It has been very rewarding, encouraging what is specifically Mandan,” explains Tracy.
“An item we couldn’t find a few years ago was Mandan pottery. We have others that make pottery, but not specifically Mandan. We were able to locate artist Ed Stine who makes pottery in the tradition of the Mandan. Because of the publicity, he was asked to teach pottery classes to The Three Affiliated Tribes in New Town,” says Tracy. The need for the pottery benefited both the On-A-Slant Village project and those Mandan who wanted to revive techniques passed down from their ancestors.
A number of the everyday articles from the 1700s have recently been unearthed and placed in the restored earth lodge, which looks so authentic that tourists are visiting this home of the Mandan to glimpse a history they can see and touch and not just read about.
“During the next few years, the Lewis and Clark bicentennial is going to be a big benefit for North Dakota. I think we will have many new people coming to the state and seeing us for the first time. They will have their eyes opened to what a wonderful heritage we have and how we tell it. Those that come will be impressed, and I think it will be a permanent increase in tourism for the state that will ultimately help us. There will always be an interest in Native American culture,” notes Tracy.
Five Nations Arts is a center for Native American culture, reestablishing the long-held reputation of the Upper Missouri River tribal region as a hub of continental trade. It also builds on the tradition of friendly commercial relations between the Americans and the tribes of the Five Nations.